Changing The Game

by Lissandra Rowe

312 pages, Paperback

Published April 20, 2026

About the author

Midwest-based Lissandra Rowe likes spicy sapphic stories driven by deeply sensual and well-rounded characters, richly descriptive settings, and emotionally charged plots. She’s never met (or written!) an ice queen she didn’t love and enjoys reading all types of stories authentically representative of our community.

When she’s not planning her next novel or diving deep into new characters, Lissandra works in communications, content strategy, and copywriting. She lives with her family, dogs, and entirely too many pairs of shoes and has an intricately crafted playlist for everything.

Connect with her on Instagram @lissandrarowe.

Reviews

[Fran Sappharc · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5. As someone who doesn't follow basketball I struggled a bit to fully picture the opening scene. However I absolutely got the why and consequences of it so a good set up from the start.
The mains are 22 in part one, and I found some of the internal longing a bit over dramatic and intense.
The second chance segment is not as over dramatic but I felt the longing dragging on impacted pace.
With more than an hour and a half left to read I just want the book to get sorted! Pacing is definitely a bit slack for me. This is a romance so there is no real "will they won't they" and I'm not really feeling "how will they."
There is however a bit of tension with a plot bump but if it becomes jumping to conclusions break up before make up I will not be happy! It did a bit…… Well there is misunderstanding which was reasonably done but then one main is told the truth by another character but that doesn’t lead to a reconciliation….. To me it feels dragged out….. again. Because of the pacing and to my mind, overly dramatic first part and possibly under dramatic second part, I just can’t round it up because at no point did I really click with this. It absolutely does not mean this is a bad book but not good for me.

[Brigitte · Rating 4 out of 5]

What I liked:
- the sports setting (although I missed a complete team match)
• The Cabo setting at the beach
• The yearning that the 2 MC’s had for eachother
• The supportive friends


What I didn’t like:
- The cheating.
- The fact that Emersyn never really dealt with her feelings and identity in 16 years (!)


I loved the sport setting of this book. Baskeball is a fun setting to have for 2 women longing for eachother. It made me think of Carrie Soto is Back from TJ Reid and Cleat Cute from Meryl Wilsner. You don’t need to know anything about Basketball to read this book, but it gives for interesting dynamics whyle playing.
This book starts in the past, where Emersyn is struggling after bouncing back from being injured to her college basketballteam. Her spot has been filled by the gorgeous (according to E.) Savannah who was scouted from Phoenix to finish college in the freezy north. Coach Kay plays a big role in Emersyn’s life, as a mentor and a person who Emersyn confides in about her struggles with sexual identity. Emersyn and Savannah fall for eachother hard. But somehow lose touch after graduation.

The 2nd part of the book starts 16 years later and sets the scene in a chique resort at Cabo beach where coach Kay marries her long-term girlfriend. She invites her dreamteam from way back then. Emersyn -still closeted, engaged, working as a basketballcoach- and Savannah -pro-basketballplayer abroad, single, physical therapist and bosslady of a chain of wellness-centre for athletes- show up for a 2 week vacation and pre-wedding events. It’s in this beautifully described resort where they find out that that magnetic pull between the two of them is still very much alive after so much time apart. And it’s this part of the story where it loses the 1-star. How Emersyn deals with her boyfriend is not fair. I get that the book needs a “third-act breakup” and some drama. But not telling him the full story and still sleep with your old love, is just not sitting right for me. Also, why did she ignore her identity for 16 years when she felt so safe and hole when she was with Savannah at 22?? Grow some balls and deal with it the right way, Em! I was literally screaming at this book.

All in all it was a cute romance and the group of friends and support that they were showing was also nice.
Looking forward to a next read of Lissandra Rowe!

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC #NetGalley #ChangingTheGame

[Anja · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow, I really liked this story and the main characters, you can feel the energy between from the first encounter. I love how this story is told, how the characters are described and also the setting. I highly recommend it

[kingdomofash · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an E-ARC in exchange for an honest review. I enjoyed this book and the romance between the characters. I love a sports romance and a second chance romance and this has both and it’s sapphic! From the forced proximity of a shared hotel room during a snowstorm, animosity between teammates gives way to attraction and a genuine connection between two female college basketball stars. Years later they reunite amid the lush tropical atmosphere of a friend’s wedding, and long suppressed feelings and memories begin to surface and old passions reignite. I couldn’t put this down, and I wouldn’t have minded more of their story while they were at Northwoods.

Pub date: April 14 2026

[Quinn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Many thanks to NetGalley, Bold Strokes Books and Lissandra Rowe for this ARC opportunity. I am happy to share my honest review.

I really enjoyed the last book I read by Lissandra Rowe and so was pretty excited to get my hands on an early copy of Changing The Game. This was a fun to read sapphic romance about second chance love with a touch of forced proximity. I love a good second chance romance when two women get the opportunity to reconnect and get it right this time. I enjoyed this book a lot and was definitely well entertained throughout.

The first quarter of the book follows Emersyn and Savannah in their college days before jumping to the present day. I sort of preferred this approach to the time jumping approach sometimes used to convey a past relationship. I felt like I really got the opportunity to get to know college Emersyn and Savannah and appreciate the women they grow up to become. In college Emersyn and Savannah are talented young basketball stars when Emersyn is sidelined with injuries from a car accident. Savannah is sort of the hit shot that takes her spot. We get a little competitive and fast paced basketball action and get a view into the obvious attraction between the girls. Nothing really comes of their shared attraction, likely due to Emersyn not really being able to come to terms with her sexuality. Maybe timing really is everything…

The second part thrusts us 16 years into the future and into the present day. This is where the love story between Emersyn and Savannah really develops. The girls agree to spend 2 weeks in a sort of vacation in Mexico centered around their college basketball coaches wedding. Immediately I could see that the same sexual attraction was still there but well…Emersyn is sort of engaged and to a man to boot. I am not a fan of cheating but a touch of scandal did make this story even hotter and more exciting to read. I did like that the conflict made sense. The girls were still in a place where they were kind of dictated by fears and crappy timing but they clearly never forgot about each other. I felt that they did have a genuine connection and their spark was so bright. I enjoyed watching them re-kindle something that they both wanted badly. The girls were removed from their day to day lives in this lush Mexico setting and finally allowed themselves to be real and confront emotions they've been avoiding for years. I really was invested in their journey and happy to watch them choose each other in a way they never could before.


The writing style is clean, clear and easy to read. I found the writing to be consistent and have a sort of conversational feel to it. I felt that Rowe offers a balanced story with a lot of emotion and heart. I liked the set up employed which allowed me to read about the main characters' college days before jumping into the present day. I feel like the dialogue really added to the love story and I genuinely enjoyed the interactions between Emersyn and Savannah. They were sweet, tender and smokin 'hot!

Overall, this book is a fun to read second chance sapphic romance with a heartwarming ending and strong characters. I would definitely recommend it!

[jayden abel · Rating 3 out of 5]

*Possible Spoilers*

I loved the concept of Changing the Game, a sweet book about second chances and finding family. I sort of liked Savannah and Emersyn together, but there were some morality issues. Emersyn’s former best friend is my favorite character. She helps talk Emersyn through her feelings, and stands up for her when Savannah jumps to conclusions.

Emersyn and Savannah aren’t remarkable characters. That’s not to say I disliked them, I just don’t know much about them. In the past, Emersyn was an angsty twenty two year old who resented her career-shattering injury. In the present, she’s a closeted lesbian who finds her fiancé boring and makes good money at a private school. Other than Savannah and basketball, I don’t know what she likes. I wish that we saw more than just her ambitious/in love sides.

I didn’t feel any which way about Savannah. I didn’t understand why she was obsessed with getting to know her borderline rude teammate. I do get that passion is a powerful attractor, and Emersyn certainly has a lot of it, but she was never particularly nice to Savannah. As a real adult in her thirties, outside of running a fitness/physical therapy chain, and pining after an engaged woman, I also don’t know anything about her hobbies or interests.

I have mixed feelings about the two women together. They’re a fun couple to read about, the young love nostalgia is sweet and fantastical. Rich sapphics lounging around on a beach, madly in love with each other; fun. However, when they reconnect, I don’t see much beyond a revived sexual tension. One vulnerable conversation at twenty two, and one tipsy conversation at thirty eight about compulsory heterosexuality does not equal intimacy.

Then there’s the cheating. I know that Emersyn’s fiancé is a man, and therefore boring. I feel like it’s more about the principle of it. Savannah broke Emersyn’s heart by moving away. That was a breach of trust for Emersyn. Now she breaches her partner’s trust by going on vacation and emotionally and physically cheating on him. If said partner was a jerk, it would have been more excusable. When she comes out to him, he tells her to go after Savannah and that he wishes her happiness. At that point, it didn’t feel like Savannah and Emersyn had a deep enough connection, past horny nostalgia, to justify infidelity. Maybe I just think cheating is immature and avoidable.

I was laughing at how much Savannah and Emersyn’s friends were cheering on the cheating. Emersyn’s coach, who knows that she’s engaged, actively pushes the two lovebirds to attend a dance together. There are a few things I liked about this story, the nostalgia, the potential for deep connection, and the lavish beach setting. The cheating just overwhelmed me with ick.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bold Strokes Books for an ARC in exchange for my honest review. I will be posting this review in early to mid March on Goodreads and/or Tiktok and Instagram.

[Rach · Rating 3 out of 5]

A second chance story about falling in love with your team mate only to let it fall away after college then reconnect by chance at a destination wedding of their colleague basketball coach. So much has changed for them both in the years personally and professionally but when their eyes lock in on each other the heart defiantly knows what it wants!

We have Emersyn a previously talented player who suffered during a car crash and went from star player now struggling to regain her position, lost her funding and now has a disabled mother, she’s carrying not only guilt but a lot of anger. Enter Savannah the newest transfer the next star player, plus she’s super hot and openly a lesbian. Suddenly Emersyn severally dislikes her and doesn’t want to be a team player with her - well it stated so well until one snowstorm later and the ice queen has truly melted under Savannah’s touch! This continues many years later with a tension filled destination wedding where they reconnect but Emersyn has never come out and now is engaged to a man. Slowly Emersyn unravels and Savannah is not prepared to lose her again.

It was a solid story but the reconnection was quite slow for the “now” part which I do understand but there are only so many longing glances and tension we can take! Its a mixed POV story but honestly both characters felt quite flat especially Savannah we know she’s hot, wants Emersyn, played ball professionally in Europe the gave it up to retrain as a physio and open up a load of gyms. Her reason as to why retain was honourable but I just didn’t feel like she was a fully fleshed out character. Emersyn was better but I did struggle with her heteronormative narrative and that her ex team mates didn’t know that they were together back in college seems odd given their tension!

There are some things I really didn’t like such as the prospect of giving into their desires when Emersyn was engaged to be married, cheating prospects are never a good foundation. Savannah almost forcing her to choose and come out (which she did apologise for) I mean this is a big moment in her life which Emersyn basically didn’t care which is fair enough and the whole you are “mine now” possessive talk which I just found a bit cringe and super over used.

Overall it’s solid read it’s not a full basketball story which I enjoyed, you can feel the will they won’t they. I like the switched up POV and the many supporting side characters and it is spicy. I was given an opportunity to read this prior to publication via NetGalley and bold stroke books, if you like a second chance, ice queen, tension filled drama then this is definitely one for you!

[Parker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Is a shell of a life where you feel nothing in your relationship, better than risking all you know and how you portray yourself, for a relationship that makes you feel everything? That’s the question Emersyn needs to answer in this slow burn, second chance romance by Lissandra Rowe.

Set in two parts, this book focuses on a college basketball team and two star players, Emersyn and Savannah. Part I, ‘THEN’, is their senior year, Emersyn doesn’t like the new transfer Savannah who has the future Emersyn thought would be hers, before the car accident. Savannah wants the version of Emersyn she’s only heard of from their teammates and if she can find her, she will make Emersyn hers.

Part II, ‘NOW’, takes place 16 years later when the basketball team reunites for a luxury beach resort wedding. The team scattered after graduation, and for the first time since then Savannah and Emersyn will see each other again.

Basketball sets the foundation for the relationships amongst the women and shows how your teammates can see you clearly even when you no longer recognize yourself. And they aren’t afraid to call you out when you’re just getting in the way of your own dreams!

The characters have depth and it doesn’t take long before you feel you know them. You come to understand what has happened that shaped their lives ‘THEN’; and how it will impact their lives ‘NOW’. The secondary characters are well developed and help to add to the story through shared experiences. The settings are described in a way that lets you feel as if you there with the characters feeling the humidity and tropical air.

When trapped in our own fear, when anything good is catastrophized in our own thoughts, it leaves us stuck; only able to move forward by taking a risk, but that risk could mean finally being happy. Emersyn, with the help of her team, will decide if fear should prevent her from finding her happiness.

I’d recommend this book for anyone who enjoys lesbian romances with a side of sports and a group of good natured, meddling friends. You don’t need to be a fan of basketball to root for Emersyn and Savannah!

Thank you Bold Strokes Books for providing this book for review via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Deafinitelygay · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one had a lot going for it on paper. Second chance, sports, sapphic, beach setting, forced proximity… all my things. And honestly, parts of it really worked. The past timeline especially. You can feel the pull between Emersyn and Savannah right away. That college tension, the longing, the almost… it was doing what it needed to do.

The Cabo setting in the present was also a vibe. Rich sapphics on vacation, wedding events, old feelings resurfacing… I was here for that. And I liked the friend group. They felt supportive, messy in a real way, and actually involved in the story.

But I’m not even going to dance around it. The cheating ruined a lot of this for me.

I get what the book was trying to do. Repressed identity, compulsory heterosexuality, unfinished business. Cool. But the way Emersyn handled it? No. You’re engaged. Your fiancé isn’t terrible. And you’re still out here emotionally and physically cheating instead of just being honest. It made it really hard to root for her, especially because she had sixteen years to figure herself out and just… didn’t.

And that’s the other thing. Sixteen years is a long time to not deal with something that clearly mattered that much to you. It made her arc feel frustrating instead of satisfying. I wanted more accountability, more actual growth, not just sliding back into old feelings.

The connection between them in the present also felt a little thin. The nostalgia is strong, yes. The attraction is definitely there. But outside of that, I didn’t always buy the depth. It felt like they were picking up intensity more than building something new.

Character-wise, I wanted more from both of them. Savannah especially felt a little flat outside of being successful and still in love. Emersyn had more going on, but a lot of it just made me annoyed with her choices.

That said, it’s not all bad. The idea is strong, the settings are fun, and the younger timeline shows that the author can write chemistry when they want to. I just wish the present storyline had the same emotional payoff without all the mess that made it hard to enjoy.

This is one of those books where I see what it was trying to do, but the execution didn’t fully land for me.

[Michele · Rating 4 out of 5]

Changing The Game is broken down into three parts including nine chapters focusing on "then" which depicts the senior year of college and basketball for Emersyn Tanner and Savannah Sanchez; thirty-one chapters focusing on "now" which is sixteen years later and includes the pre-wedding activities and the wedding of their former basketball coach in Cabo San Lucas; and finally, an epilogue one year later. Emersyn and Savannah fell in love during their senior year together in college but were separated by a car accident in Emersyn's sophomore year in college that prevented her from extending her basketball career to the pro's. Meanwhile, Savannah spent five years overseas in pro basketball following her college career. Emersyn could not admit to herself and others at the time that she was gay and therefore she did not follow Savannah overseas. When they are reunited in Cabo, Savannah has spent her life in Phoenix following five years in pro basketball. She is an accomplished medical professional (physical therapy) and is now a businesswoman who owns multiple gyms. Emersyn is coaching girls basketball at a private academy in Chicago and she is engaged to Jared. They have been together for three years.

This was an enjoyable story that flowed well from the "then" story to the "now" portion of the book. The reader could feel Emersyn's struggles with her sexuality and how to tell her mother about her sexuality both when she was twenty-two and then later when she was thirty-eight. I really enjoyed the relationship that Emersyn and her coach, Kay Hanlon, established. Emersyn could literally talk to Kay about anything during her college days and then when they were together in Cabo. I also got the feeling that Kay and her fiancée, Diana, were subtly pushing Emersyn in Savannah's direction. Finally, I enjoyed the relationship that Emersyn had with her mother and the same with Savannah and her parents. 4 stars

I received an ARC from Bold Strokes Books and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Amanda Lovette · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really love sports romance books so I was really excited about this one. I liked how the story started in the past so that we got a glimpse of what Emeryson and Savannah were like, but, I think there needed to be more of those chapters. Especially regarding how and why they broke up, and more details about where they ended up before the reunion in Mexico. Everything about the trip and the wedding though was really sweet and I loved how much of a presence their Coach was and how typical the meddling teammates were. It felt like the perfect balance of humor, tenderness, hope, and grief.

In terms of Emerson and Savannah’s chemistry, I was definitely there for it. The sparks, intimacy, banter, and big feelings were all there. It hadn’t felt like much had changed over the 16 years they were apart. That being said, at times it felt like we still didn’t know much about them other than what they do for work, what they were like in college, and how strong their feelings are for another. We don't know the little things like their likes and dislikes, what they do for fun, have their hopes and dreams changed over time, you know things like that. We also don’t really get a sense of how their relationship is outside of either basketball or the resort, so it makes you feel a little uncertain whether things will actually work out or not.

As for the setting, I love the whole backstory of the team and how Emersyn and Savannah met, and of course all the fun and excitement that happened at the resort. And then adding the whole dream team reunion aspect to the wedding was a great idea that brought a lot of humor and light heartedness to the story. I loved that the team always had Emersyn and Savannah’s back, though it was weird knowing that the girls all knew that Emersyn was already engaged to a man. Especially Coach Kay and her soon to be wife knew this and still continued to set the two of them up. I will say, once Emersyn realized her feelings, she should have broken things off with the guy before getting into bed with Savannah. I did really love Emersyn’s relationship with her coach and seeing how much of a difference a coach can really make in someone’s life. While her coach did support her identity struggle, I think it would have benefitted the story and emotional journey of Emersyn to have been able to read more about her struggle, why she denied it for so long, and what it is about Savannah that made her fully realize who she really was.

Overall, the concept of the story was great, the setting and side characters were well developed and immersive, but I think there just needed to be more depth to Emersyn and Savannah and more details regarding their breakup and life after paradise.

[Kaye · Rating 3 out of 5]

Emersyn Tanner was the local basketball star at her college but that changed after an accident and injuries. As a senior she has fought back for her scholarship and place on the team. New transfer Savannah Sanchez is one of the best in the country, with prospects to play professionally. Emersyn knows she is attracted to women but she feels overwhelmingly drawn to Savannah.

The first quarter of the novel is the two in college. It gives their backstories and seeing them shift from teammates to more. The bulk of the book is set in the present day which is 16 years later. The entire team from that magical season are invited to a destination wedding for their beloved college Coach. Of course Emersyn and Savannah plan to attend and enjoy the two weeks of wedding events in Mexico at an all inclusive resort.

What the story does very well is describing the longing and yearning the pair feel for each other. It also highlights the fear of coming out as an older adult. I feel for them and the deep connection they share. And I love the idea of a second chance with the one who got away. But the story has some moral issues. Emersyn is engaged to Jared, a surgeon and seemingly good guy. I am not a fan of cheating in stories whether emotionally or physically. Oddly the coach and friends seem to encourage this morally gray area wanting the two to see their amazing connection. The other thing I was missing was never seeing them get to know each other or building and being in a relationship, in the past or present. While I liked the characters I knew very little about them other than their career choices and Emersyn not being out. I did like the epilogue which showed me there wasn’t an instant HEA but it took some time.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bold Strokes Books for the eARC and I am leaving an honest review.

[Juniper L.H. · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ok I need to get this out of the way; the cover is a stock photo I have seen used on a few other novels, but why did they pick it for this one considering one of the protagonists are definitely not white??

This novel didn’t really do it for me. There were a lot of reasons, but I will try to be concise:
*Spoiler Warnings*
-Cheating, and I didn’t see a content warning. Its also not a little thing, but central to the premise, and no one particularly feels bad about it. The friends are also actively supporting and encouraging the protagonists to have an affair………..like ugh I don’t like these people.
-Poor writing. There are a lot of details that were confusing or poorly explained. Information that arose from nowhere, or disappeared never to be seen again.
-Relationship development; it was very strange and inconsistent. They disliked each other and barely ever interacted, then suddenly they were together 100%, “feeling such a strong connection” and “I know her so well I can always tell when she is lying”.
-Also, they never discussed a relationship in either timeline. They just assumed that they were together I suppose? In the past she kissed a closeted girl and said, “your mine now” and that was it. In the present they said they loved each other but never discussed actually being together. They lived on opposite sides of the country with location-specific jobs, but the topic of the future was never brought up a single time?
-We were told about their special connection a million times but honestly I never saw any evidence of anything special.
-The most pointless of conflicts and bits of drama. For example, if you decide to sleep with someone who is engaged then you really shouldn’t be angry that…..they have a fiancée?

Thank you to NetGalley for providing a free ARC. This honest review was left voluntarily.

[Scott Cutlip · Rating 4 out of 5]

In Changing the Game, we meet Emersyn and Savannah. At first the two are college basketball rivals, but then Savannah transfers to Emrysyn's team. Their relationship starts off rocky, as Emersyn has trouble seeing her rival as a teammate, in addition to other issues Emersyn is having. But soon enough they get closer and a deeper bond is formed. While I generally don’t care much for the part of second chance novels where they spend too much time on the before part, I do think in this case we could have benefited a little more of a glimpse into their relationship after they got together. I do appreciate, however, that the two parts of the relationship are clearly done before and then after, instead of going back and forth between the two.

Years later, the two are not together. The wedding of their college coach brings them and other teammates together and the attraction is once again instantaneous. There are multiple things holding Emersyn back and Savannah, while part of the main couple, seems very much to be much more of a secondary character to Emersyn.

There are a couple of moments that make each character lose a notch in my eyes, and there is the issue of infidelity, which could have been easily avoided, I think, so as to make me not look down a bit on both the main characters. Miscommunications and people walking in at the wrong moment and not allowing the other person to explain an easily-explained situation do bring the book down a bit. I would honestly rate this book a 3.5 stars, and I could go either way on the whole-star scale, but I will be generous and give it a 4.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

[Andrea (looseleftlesbian) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

We love a sapphic basketball romance! This is my first book I’ve read by Lissandra Rowe. The writing was amazing. As I was finishing it up, there were so many scenes that I could see as a movie. It would be a great romance movie.

Like I said, the writing was great. That wasn’t the issue for me. I honestly want to rate it higher, but I can’t due to not really feeling the chemistry between the two MCs. I do think this can be solved pretty easily if we were able to see them in college together as a couple. We get their past but only them hooking up before it goes to the present day. There was a little chemistry before they got together in college, but it was mostly their own thoughts and attraction that we got to read about.

As much as I do not like men, I also don’t like cheating. Even if it's on a man. I’m not one to rank how bad cheating is per say, but I will say that the cheating involved could’ve been worse. But regardless, it’s cheating and I’d rather not have that in books I read. Just a preference.

Overall, the story and writing was great. It had a lot of great moments. It just fell short for me in terms of chemistry between the MCs. I will definitely be reading the author’s other book! 3.5 stars!

[Nia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall, I really liked the story and the basketball theme. Sweet and well rounded characters with complicated pasts and some hardships.
The setting and their backstory are quite well-developed, but at times it feels rather quick in their statements, certainties, reactions, and decisions.
Regarding the story itself: Savy and Emersyn are rivals, but Savy never wanted to be her rival.
They're on the same team and should be teammates, and she wants much more from her.
Emersyn wants that too, but she's dealing with a thick layer of coldness due to a tragic accident that stopped her basketball career for a while.
Savannah joins the team and is incredibly talented and incredibly attractive.
Emersyn realizes she's gay, and they find each other as lovers but nobody really knows.
The time after this event of coming together and spending the first night is either not described or only very briefly;
they separate due to opportunities for Savy in Europe.
Sixteen years later, at their former coach's wedding, they grow closer again, and sparks fly, of course.
Feelings that had been put on ice back then thaw rapidly…
What I really liked, was the intensity with which they both wanted each other.
Always wanted each other.
What I didn't like was the cheating, even if it wasn't fully committed until … I don’t write much more than that.
But enough happens beforehand to call it cheating.
It could have been handled better for the story.
Well, I spoilered enough.
I thank Bold Stroke Books and the Author for the arc.
I enjoyed reading the story, although I criticized a few things. The happy ending was beautiful !

[Stephanie Elliott · Rating 2 out of 5]

This novel didn't do it for me. I felt it was poorly written and points of the plot did not work. The writing is excessively repetitive. For example, rather than alluding to prior conversations, the same drawn out story would be retold with different friends. By the end, Savannah wanting to ‘unravel’ Em annoyed me… along with undone, belong to and claim. There are plot holes between the then and now that don’t get fully explained or don’t in a way that makes it believable that they have a love that would endure a 16 year separation. They did not like each other in college, at best Savannah was attracted to her distant team mate and wanted to claim her. Speaking of, I didn’t get a vibe that Savannah was dominant, so all the claiming and belong comments were a bit cringey. Nothing is told of the prior relationship after the blizzard, but they couldn’t have more than a few months together, in a hidden relationship. What made it transcend time and distance? In the present, it wasn’t the cheating that bothered me, but that every single member of the friend group seemed to endorse it, cheer it on.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

[Maria · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you like basketball and when it is more about lust than love this may be the book for you. I unfortunately struggled to see that Emersyn and Savannah were the right for each other since their budding love story in college is briefed over with this one hook-up. Then the book skips to 16 years in the future and their coach’s wedding in Cabo when they meet again after their supposedly messy break-up that is not detailed in any way on page.

If there had been more on page about their college days as well as Emersyn’s struggle to admit to herself and others that she was in fact gay I probably would have like this book so much more. Now we just get a fact on that she is engaged to a man she does not love when she meets Savannah again. So unfortunately, a lost opportunity for some real angst and making the reader invested in Emersyn and Savannah’s love story.

I received a free ARC via NetGalley and leave an honest review voluntarily.

[Samantha · Rating 5 out of 5]

A sports romance novel unlike others I have seen before!
“Set against the tantalizing heat of the tropics, this slow-burn second-chance romance explores love that never ends, passion that can’t be denied, and the courage to claim forever.” This one is a quick paced read that I couldn’t put down and ended up finishing in less than a week. A perfect vacation read!

Lissandra Rowe creates a story of identity exploration and coming out, without cheesy or obvious stereotypes. This balance was what made the biggest impact for me. Representation and character development are present, but never at the expense of storytelling. Rather than trying to make a statement, the story allows its characters to exist fully and authentically. While the story was predictable, the characters were unique and likeable.

I recommend this book for those who like a feel-good romance and can get on board with strong, successful, women in love with each other.

[Jamie P-Kretzschmar · Rating 5 out of 5]

I normally absolutely dread the then and now timeline structure in books. It usually rips me right out of the romance. But Lissandra Rowe worked some serious magic, and I honestly didn't loved it. The transitions felt completely natural. More importantly, the characters are well-rounded. They feel like flesh and blood people with real flaws, with genuine emotion. I was rooting for them from page one. The spicy scenes were another massive highlight for me. They were fantastic! My only tiny gripe is that they felt a bit too short, purely because I was enjoying them so much and wanted more. Even with that small critique, this is a phenomenal read. I will be happily searching for and reading every single novel she has written.

My Highlights

Well-rounded characters
✓
Seamless then/now timeline
✓
Great assessment scenes
My Grievances
✗

[Sue Plant · Rating 5 out of 5]

would like to thank netgalley and the publisher for letting me read this book

this is my second book by this author and i have to say i was not disappointed.....

sport themed books are starting to be my go to and this one doesnt disappoint... we first meet the two main characters at the last year in education before they go off to do their thing with sport scholarships

the second half of the book is then based on 16 years later when their former coach is getting married and thats the main storyline

not wanting to spoil it for anyone as i feel you have to read a book yourself to experience the highs and lows and the important part will they or wont they.... but the heat between them more than makes up for anything

will be keeping a look out for more books by this author as i do like her style of writing...

[Teagan · Rating 3 out of 5]

ARC REVIEW –

A second chance romance where Savannah and Emeryson first meet on their college basketball team at 22 and share some intense feelings... sixteen years later they (along with their whole basketball team) reunite and those feelings are still there.

I wanted to like this book and parts of it I did. I liked the angst and longing between Savannah and Emeryson however other than that.. this book was a whole lot of nothing for me.

This book wasn’t necessarily bad, I was just bored. Nothing all that exciting happened. And I felt the pacing was so off and reading this just dragged on. I also felt that so much of the dialogue felt unnatural and I couldn’t see past it from the beginning of the book.

Unfortunately, it just wasn’t for me (such a shame!!!!)

Thank you to NetGalley and all for the ARC.

[Steph · Rating 4 out of 5]

Even though I am one of the least athletic people I know, I love a good sports/athlete romance and was immediately drawn to the idea of a 2nd chance romance between former school teammates with slight enemies-to-lovers vibes. The tropical setting is perfect for those of us wishing we could leave our lives for a beach vacation, however, I was unprepared for the level of emotional angst and morally grey area of one of the character’s relationship status and had a harder time reconciling that than I’d expected. Changing the Game was overall an enjoyable read, worth reading once but probably not one I’ll be re-reading once it is officially released.

I received an ARC of this novel from NetGalley.

[Meghan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love sports romances and enjoyable read by Rowe, it's also my first book by Rowe as well.

The story didn't hit the mark for me. It was hard to see the chemistry between the MCs or see why they were even together. A glimpse of their time at college would have helped instead of just them hooking up.

I do not condone cheating no matter if its on a man or a woman. It had a good premise to a story, but the attraction wasn't there for me so had hard time getting into it.

I received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Murphy Hall · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was given a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for a honest review.

The author did a phenomenal job depicting this sapphic relationship with authenticity. I really enjoyed reading this love story!

[Jerelyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC! This was a sweet and spicy novel following two college basketball players as they fall in love then drift apart. I really enjoyed reading Changing the Game and Emersyn was so relatable with her struggles of identity. A wedding helps Emersyn and Savannah reconnect. Changing the Game follows their sweet love story and their reconnection.

[Lindsay Ottens · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not exactly what I was looking for.